256 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



Nestling. — Down of crown, centre of nape, upper -parts and sides 

 of body pale rnouse-grey, some tipped greyish-white ; patch on 

 lores and line above eye sepia ; chin, throat and rest of neck 

 white ; remaining under -parts ashy-white, down with dusky-brown 

 bases. 



Juvenile. — Dark form. — Like adult, but no white patch on side 

 of neck (a small white spot on chin in some), black of head, neck, 

 upper-mantle and breast duller and browner, feathers of rest 

 of mantle and scapulars hair-brown and mostly tipped ash-brown 

 or ash-white ; under-parts paler than in adult, sides of body and 

 flanks paler brown-grey shading to ash-white at tip and without 

 white tips as in adult ; tail-feathers as in adult, but more or less 

 tipped white and central pair in some with inner webs more or less 

 white ; wing as in adult, but secondaries (in some also primary- 

 coverts, greater and lower median coverts) tipped white, rest of 

 median and lesser coverts tipped ash-white, tips narrower on 

 lesser coverts and in some absent. Pale form. — Upper -parts browner 

 feathers of mantle with broader brownish edges ; breast and belly 

 as in pale form of adult ; sides of body and flanks pale ash-brown, 

 feathers edged ash-white ; as in adult, there is every intergradation 

 between these two forms, but apparently palest juvenile is never so 

 pale as palest adult or dark form as dark as darkest. Feathers of 

 mantle, scapulars and under-parts smaller and narrower than in 

 adult, tail-feathers, secondaries, greater and median coverts 

 narrower. 



First winter and summer. — Like adult but distinguished by white 

 tips to secondaries also primary, greater and some median coverts ; 

 greater and median coverts narrower than in adult. The juvenile 

 body-feathers (apparently not feathers of back or always all 

 tail-coverts), usually some or all tail-feathers, sometimes some 

 innermost secondaries and coverts and some median coverts are 

 moulted from autumn onwards. Sometimes moult is very incom- 

 plete and many juvenile feathers including tail and wings are 

 retained. 



Second winter and summer. — Apparently as adult. 



Measurements and structure. — $ wing 326-356 mm., tail 90- 

 101, tarsus 56-62, bill from feathers 32-35 (12 measured). $ wing 

 326-337, bill 32-34 (9 measured). Primaries : 1st narrow, pointed 

 and more than half longest primary-covert, 3rd longest, 2nd 3-9 

 mm. shorter, 4th 9-13 shorter, 5th 25-38 shorter, 6th 46-61 shorter. 

 Innermost secondaries slightly pointed at tip, longest above 6th 

 primary. Upper and under tail-coverts reach to tip of tail. Tail 

 rounded, 16 feathers. Feathers of neck sometimes with a " fur- 

 rowed " appearance. Bill as in B. ruficollis, but larger and sides 

 compressed ; teeth 28-30. Loral feathering does not extend beyond 

 frontal feathering, feathering on intercrural space extends barely 

 half-way towards nail. Other structure as in B. ruficollis. 



Soft parts. — Bill, legs and feet black, upper surface of toes 

 tinged olive -green ; iris dark brown. 



